Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination delivers a playable experience in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics card. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy where the CPU provides more than enough headroom, while the GPU’s architectural age becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show how each component contributes to the final frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its single-thread performance is a standout, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2224 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. This strength is critical for a puzzle platformer like Inside, which relies on consistent frame pacing rather than massive multi-threaded workloads. The data shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game, as even at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU is least stressed, the average FPS reaches 151.6, indicating the processor can feed frames far beyond what the RX 580 can render.

The multi-threaded scores are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a Passmark multithread score of 14015. This suggests the CPU has ample headroom for the game’s physics and logic threads, which are typically light for this genre. The processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory further ensure that data delivery is not a bottleneck. In the context of Inside, the i3-12100F’s role is to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation, which it does admirably, as evidenced by the fact that FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to resolution and graphics settings rather than CPU load.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear performance limiter in this pairing. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s textures, but its compute capabilities are dated. The GPU has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, with 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs. Its FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the benchmark data shows its average score of 13559 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and GTX 950 scoring nearly identically (0% and 0.1% deltaPct, respectively).

This GPU’s limits become apparent in the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the card manages only 35.2 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it achieves 73.5 FPS. The RX 580’s architecture, GCN 4.0 on a 14 nm process, lacks the efficiency of newer designs, and this is reflected in the steep performance drop as resolution increases. The 8 GB VRAM is not the issue here, as Inside is not a VRAM-heavy title; instead, the raw pixel throughput and shading rate are the bottlenecks. The card’s DirectX 12 support (12_0) is adequate, but its Passmark DirectX 12 score of 43 indicates it struggles with modern API overhead, though the game’s simple visuals mitigate this somewhat.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data tells a clear story about the system’s bottleneck. Moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, the average FPS drops from 74.2 to 32.7, a reduction of roughly 56%. This is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, as the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution, while the GPU’s pixel fill rate and shading requirements scale directly. At 1080p Low, the system hits 151.6 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 67.2 FPS, a 55% drop. The consistency of this percentage across settings confirms the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions, or for the drop to be less severe at lower settings where the GPU is less stressed. Instead, the data shows that even at Low settings, the 4K resolution halves the frame rate compared to 1080p, proving that the RX 580’s processing power is insufficient for high pixel counts. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (121.2 FPS) to 4K (52.3 FPS) is 57%, and at Ultra, it is 52% (from 73.5 to 35.2). This pattern underscores that the GPU is saturated at all settings, and the CPU is never waiting for work.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the game is highly playable across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 151.6 FPS, Medium drops to 121.2 FPS, High to 74.2 FPS, and Ultra to 73.5 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal (0.7 FPS), suggesting that Ultra settings add little visual benefit for a significant theoretical cost. At 2560x1440, the performance is still acceptable for most players: Low averages 110.5 FPS, Medium 84.6 FPS, High 54.6 FPS, and Ultra 51 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is again small, at 3.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system struggles to maintain smooth frame rates on higher settings. Low averages 67.2 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 52.3 FPS, High to 32.7 FPS, and Ultra to 35.2 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra performs slightly better than High at 4K (35.2 vs. 32.7 FPS), which could indicate a driver-level optimization or a quirk in how the settings are applied, but the difference is within a margin of error. For a 60 FPS target, only 1080p Low, Medium, and High, along with 1440p Low and Medium, meet the requirement. At 4K, only Low settings come close to 60 FPS, but with a 67.2 FPS average, it is just above the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1537 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is a surprising result given the game’s age and low system requirements. The rank suggests that while this combo is functional, it is far from optimal, likely due to the GPU’s age. The CPU itself is in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, deltaPct -0.1%) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280, deltaPct 1.8%).

However, the GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking and its average score of 13559, which is only 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, drags the overall combo down. The combo rank indicates that most other tested systems, even those with weaker CPUs, achieve higher FPS in this game because they are paired with more capable graphics cards. This is a clear case of a strong CPU being held back by a weak GPU, and the rank reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s capabilities.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?*

A: Yes, the measured data shows that at 1920x1080, Low settings (151.6 FPS), Medium (121.2 FPS), and High (74.2 FPS) all exceed 60 FPS. Ultra settings also achieve 73.5 FPS, so all settings are playable at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The FPS drops by over 50% when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, while the CPU’s high single-thread scores (2224 Geekbench single-core) indicate it has ample headroom. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking versus the CPU’s 72nd percentile confirms this.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience?

A: For a consistent 60 FPS, 2560x1440 at Low or Medium settings (110.5 and 84.6 FPS respectively) is ideal. At 4K, only Low settings (67.2 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, but the margin is slim.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1537 out of 1671 combos, placing it in the bottom 8%. This is due to the RX 580’s age, as its average score (13559) is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564) and GTX 950 (13549).

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause any issues in this game?

A: No, the data does not indicate VRAM limitations. The performance drops are consistent with GPU compute limits, not memory capacity, as Inside is a lightweight title that does not require large texture pools.

Q: Is the i3-12100F a waste of money for this GPU?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. Its average benchmark score (13516) is competitive with higher-end CPUs, and the FPS is capped by the GPU. The CPU provides headroom for future GPU upgrades.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1080p as the sweet spot. At 1920x1080, High settings (74.2 FPS) offer a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with the frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings (73.5 FPS) provide negligible improvement over High, so they are not worth the potential stability risk. For players prioritizing smoothness over visuals, Medium settings (121.2 FPS) are an excellent choice, ensuring a high refresh rate experience. At 2560x1440, Medium settings (84.6 FPS) are the recommended option, as they maintain a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering a sharper image. High settings at 1440p (54.6 FPS) dip below 60 FPS, making them less desirable. At 4K, Low settings (67.2 FPS) are the only viable option for a playable frame rate, but the experience is marginal. Given the small performance difference between High and Ultra across all resolutions, users should stick to High or Medium for the best balance of quality and frame rate.